Survey on a microalga collected from an Edmonson Point pond (Victoria Land, Antarctica)

Antarctic freshwater ecosystems are especially vulnerable to human impacts. Polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants that have a long lifetime in the environment. Despite their use having either been phased out or restricted, they are still found in nature, also in remote areas. Once in the environment, the fate of PCBs is strictly linked to bacteria which represent the first step in the transfer of toxic compounds to higher trophic levels. Data on PCB-oxidizing bacteria from polar areas are still scarce and fragmented. In this study, the occurrence of PCB-oxidizing cold-adapted bacteria was evaluated in water and sediment of four coastal lakes at Edmonson Point (Northern Victoria Land, Antarctica). After enrichment with biphenyl, 192 isolates were obtained with 57 of them that were able to grow in the presence of the PCB mixture Aroclor 1242, as the sole carbon source. The catabolic gene bphA, as a proxy for PCB degradation potential, was harbored by 37 isolates (out of 57), mainly affiliated to the genera Salinibacterium, Arthrobacter (among Actinobacteria) and Pusillimonas (among Betaproteobacteria). Obtained results enlarge our current knowledge on cold-adapted PCB-oxidizing bacteria and pose the basis for their potential application as a valuable eco-friendly tool for the recovery of PCB-contaminated cold sites.

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Distribution of psychrophilic microorganisms in soils of Terra Nova Bay and Edmonson Point, Victoria Land and their biosynthetic capabilities

Polar Biology ◽

10.1007/s00300-009-0625-2 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 32 (9) ◽

pp. 1287-1291 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Victoria Gesheva

Keyword(s):

Terra Nova Bay ◽

Victoria Land ◽

Terra Nova ◽

Edmonson Point

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Variation in the characteristics and development of soils at Edmonson Point due to abiotic and biotic factors, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

CATENA ◽

10.1016/j.catena.2015.04.011 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 132 ◽

pp. 56-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Jerzy Smykla ◽

Marek Drewnik ◽

Ewa Szarek-Gwiazda ◽

Yii Siang Hii ◽

Wiesław Knap ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biotic Factors ◽

Victoria Land ◽

Abiotic And Biotic Factors ◽

Edmonson Point

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Factors affecting the breeding success of the south polar skua Catharacta maccormicki at Edmonson Point, Victoria Land, Antarctica

Polar Biology ◽

10.1007/s003000000213 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 24 (6) ◽

pp. 389-393 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Pezzo F. ◽

Olmastroni S. ◽

Corsolini S. ◽

Focardi S.

Keyword(s):

Breeding Success ◽

The South ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

South Polar Skua ◽

Victoria Land ◽

Catharacta Maccormicki ◽

South Polar ◽

Edmonson Point

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High levels of genetic variability and population differentiation in Gressittacantha terranova (Collembola, Hexapoda) from Victoria Land, Antarctica

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102001000360 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 246-254 ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Pietro Paolo Fanciulli ◽

Domenico Summa ◽

Romano Dallai ◽

Francesco Frati

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variability ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

Allozyme Electrophoresis ◽

Geographic Isolation ◽

Patchy Distribution ◽

Victoria Land ◽

Collembolan Species ◽

The Impact ◽

Edmonson Point

Allozyme electrophoresis was used to assess genetic variability and differentiation in 22 populations of Gressittacantha terranova Wise (Hexapoda, Collembola) from a coastal area of Victoria Land between the Mariner Glacier and the Nansen Ice Sheet. Allelic frequencies were determined at five enzyme loci: Phi, Pgm, Hk, Mpi and Mdh. Levels of variability, estimated as rates of heterozygosity, were higher than those calculated for the same loci in taxonomically related and non-related species of non-Antarctic Collembola. Thus, in spite of the ecological simplicity of Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems, G. terranova is characterized by high levels of genetic variability, and the 22 populations could be divided into three geogaphic groups, separated by the Aviator and Campbell glaciers. Genetic differentaton reflects the geographic arrangement of the populations, suggesting that the glaciers are effective barriers to gene flow, and that the patchy distribution of collembolan species in Antarctica has the potential to induce, in the long term, microspeciation processes. Interestingly, detectable genetic differentiation was observed between six populations collected at Edmonson Point, even though these are very close to each other, indicating the impact of geographic isolation even within short distances. The only exception to the congruence between genetic and geographic structuring was provided by the population of Apostrophe Island, for which a recent introduction with individuals coming from southern populations is suggested.

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Solution geochemistry and behaviour of major and trace elements during summer in a moss community at Edmonson Point, Victoria Land, Antarctica

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102099000024 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 3-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

R. Bargagli ◽

R.I.L. Smith ◽

L. Martella ◽

F. Monaci ◽

J.C. Sanchez-Hernandez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Major And Trace Elements ◽

Deep Soil ◽

Upward Migration ◽

Moss Species ◽

Soluble Ions ◽

Victoria Land ◽

Broad Objective ◽

Physical And Chemical ◽

Edmonson Point

Physical and chemical characteristics and solution geochemistry of major and trace elements were investigated in an area of volcanic soil colonized by mosses at Edmonson Point (central Victoria Land) during the international BIOTAS (Biological Investigations of Terrestrial Antarctic Systems) expedition (BIOTEX) in the 1995–96 summer. The broad objective was to study the environmental factors involved in plant colonisation and survival in terrestrial continental Antarctic ecosystems. The results showed that moss distribution and survival throughout the summer was closely dependent on water supply. In Antarctic coastal ecosystems the environmental biogeochemistry is largely dominated by ions of marine origin. At the drier end of a hydrological gradient the dry cushions of Hennediella heimii were encrusted with salts and showed much higher concentrations of soluble ions (Na+, Cl−, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SO42−, NO3−) than those in adhering soil particles or in other moss species from wetter parts of the transect. Although salt encrustations may partly derive from sublimation of surface snow, comparisons between concentrations of soluble ions in the dry moss and those in the < 2 mm fraction of surface and deep soil showed an upward migration along the soil profile of soluble ions as the substratum dried out, between December and January, and their accumulation mostly on mosses. At the wet end of the transect messes were less affected by salt encrustations and there was evidence of Ca2+ uptake and an active cycling of nutrients.

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